Many speech recognition systems utilize specialized computers that are configured to process human speech and carry out some task based on the speech. Some of these systems support “natural language” type interactions between users and automated call routing (ACR) systems. Natural language call routing allows callers to state the purpose of the call “in their own words.”
A goal of an ACR application may be to accurately determine why a customer is calling and to quickly route the customer to an appropriate agent or destination for servicing. Research has shown that callers prefer speech recognition systems to keypad entry or touchtone menu driven systems.
As suggested above, natural language ACR systems attempt to interpret the intent of the customer based on the spoken language. When a speech recognition system partially misinterprets the caller's intent significant problems can result. A caller who is misrouted is generally an unhappy customer. Misrouted callers often terminate the call or hang-up when they realize that there has been a mistake. If a caller does not hang up they will typically talk to an operator who tries to route the call. Routing a caller to an undesired location and then to a human operator leads to considerable inefficiencies for a business. Many call routing systems handle a large volume of calls and, even if a small percentage of calls are mishandled, the costs associated with the mishandled calls can be significant.